HELCIM
Scaling a multi-disciplinary design pipeline to support fintech growth from 30 to 120+ employees
LEADERSHIP
STRATEGY
DESIGN OPERATIONS
01
The challenge:
a disruptive workflow
BEFORE IMPLEMENTING THE pipeline, the brand design team at Helcim faced constant interruptions. Stakeholders from various teams, including marketing, product, customer service, and sales, had design needs ranging from pitch decks to motion graphics, but there was no structured way to request work. This resulted in:
❗️
Unclear project scopes and missing requirements
❗️
Last-minute, urgent requests disrupting planned work
❗️
A lack of visibility into priority projects
❗️
Inconsistencies in brand assets due to decentralized design efforts
SOLUTION
To address this, we needed a centralized intake system that allowed stakeholders to submit requests with clear requirements while giving designers a structured workflow for tracking and managing tasks.
Proposed operational framework for the design delivery pipeline.
02
Designing the Asana-integrated request system
The foundation of this system was a multi-modal intake form that dynamically adjusted based on the type of request submitted. Instead of a generic form, stakeholders were guided through specific fields relevant to their request, including:
Project type (e.g., animation, slide deck, UI assets)
Audience and intended use
File format and required specs
Deadlines and priority level
Reference materials (if available)
tl;dr
THE PROBLEM
Unstructured design requests led to inefficiencies and unclear project scopes
Constant interruptions disrupted focus and delayed project timelines
Lack of a centralized system made prioritization & consistency challenging across projects
THE GOAL
Build an efficient design request system that allowed stakeholders to submit well-defined briefs while enabling the brand design team to manage delivery more effectively.
MY APPROACH
Implemented a structured ticketing system with a standardized request form that dynamically adapted based on request type
Integrated the system into Asana with clear task queues and automated request routing via a company-wide Chrome bookmark
Streamlined team workflows through weekly stand-ups and chat check-ins to track progress and optimize task management
THE RESULT
80% reduction in random, unstructured design requests, allowing designers to focus on deep work
Increased efficiency and faster turnaround times across marketing, branding, and product design
Established a single source of truth through Helcim Design System and Air, the digital asset management platform
Inspired other teams to implement similar structured pipelines for their departments
Screenshot of the dynamic asana form I created and can be accessed online through a Chrome bookmark
To ensure accessibility, the request form was embedded in the company’s browser bookmarks via IT, allowing any team member to access it instantly. Once submitted, requests were automatically routed to Asana, where tasks were triaged based on urgency and assigned to designers accordingly.
Additionally, a ticket tracking system was put in place, allowing:
Auto-responses informing stakeholders of estimated response times
Direct designer-stakeholder communication for further clarifications
Weekly tracking to ensure high-priority tasks stayed on schedule
DARREN BELGRAVE
WEBSITE PRODUCT MANAGER, HELCIM
Working alongside Trace at Helcim was an absolute pleasure—I genuinely miss our collaboration! She started by managing design operations and quickly took on brand design responsibilities as well, showcasing impressive adaptability and leadership. Her organizational skills and attention to detail are remarkable and benefited me greatly. Plus, she's genuinely fun to work with!
Her ability to carve out a clear path forward in complex situations is impressive. If I had to highlight one of her many strengths, it would definitely be her talent for identifying solutions where none previously existed. Her approachability and support made challenging scenarios much smoother, and I was genuinely grateful to have her partnership.
03
More focus, fewer interruptions
With the system in place, the team saw immediate benefits:
80% decrease in direct, unstructured requests, reducing distractions for designers
Increased autonomy and efficiency, as designers could now manage their workload without constant task-switching
Greater brand consistency, as all assets were now aligned with the Helcim Design System (HDS) and stored in Air, the digital asset management (DAM) platform the company used
The process became repeatable and scalable, allowing other departments to replicate the structure for their own workflows
04
What I learned
KEY TAKEAWAY
Building an efficient design delivery pipeline isn’t just about organization; it’s about enabling teams to do their best work. With structured processes and automated intake, we freed up the design team’s focus time while making service requests smoother for everyone.
This case study highlights how operational improvements don’t have to be complex to be impactful. Even simple optimizations, like a well-structured request form and an accessible submission system, can transform how design teams function at scale.
RODOLFO FERRO CASAGRANDE
HEAD OF DESIGN, Helcim
Working with Trace has been a delightful experience that made me grow as a leader.
If I had to point out at one of her strongest skills, that would definitely be the ability to look at a design piece, understand that something is off, and turn that vague feeling into an objective and actionable feedback.
This ability to effectively deliver feedback has brought a lot of value to the team output and increasing their work quality.
SHOUTOUTS TO—
Rodolfo Ferro Casagrande - For being an awesome collaborator, a dedicated player/coach, and a design leader who stands by his team even when he has a fractured ankle and should have gone to urgent care right away.
Gina Gong - For their understated but deep curiosity in all things design. For pushing the envelope and the openness to stretch and grow and for being amazing at brand, web, and now product design!
Danny Jose - For bringing the cool factor to the team. You are an inspiration, a creative powerhouse, an amazing illustrator. It's always fun collaborating with you and Gina on illustration and motion!
